Bed construction



Feb. 3, 1959 G. w. MMERT, 2,871,489

BED CONSTRUCTION Filed May 29, 1956 IN V EN TOR.

M M, MMM/Q III United States Patent O 2,811,489 BED CONSTRUCTION George W. Emmert, Winnetka, Ill., assign'or to Federal Premium Service, Inc., Evanston, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application-May 29', 195s, serai No. `531,988 1 claim. (C1. s-114) This invention relates to' improvements in bed vconstructions, yandmore particularly to a conveniently assembled and disassembled lbed especially useful, for example, for household pets and the like.

One of the objectsof the present invention is-to provide an inexpensive bed construction of the kind just stated, having' a minimum number of parts and wherein all of the parts of the bedmay be inexpensively fabricated from stock materials without the use of costly special tools and dies or the like Another object of the invention is to provide a bed of this character wherein there is maximum interchangeability between the parts, thereby reducing toa minimum the number of diilerent parts that need to be manufactured. Still another object of the invention is to provide a bed having the foregoing qualities, wherein the bed is relatively' light in weight but is very strong and capable of withstanding hard wear and substantial abuse. Still another object is to provide an easily assembled and disassembled bed of the above character wherein the parts may be quickly assembled for use and wherein ythe assembled bed may easily be disassembled yby inexperienced persons for convenient storage or shipment.

These and other objects and advantages of the ,present invention will be apparent'from the following description, taken with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a bed constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 isa top plan view of one corner portion vof the bed, on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 3 isa bottom view ofthe vsain'e'co'rner portion;

Fig. 4 -is a fragmentarycross-sectional view taken l'substantially lalong the line 4 4 in Fig. 2;- and Fig. 5 isan exploded perspective view showing the; manner in which the frame elements of the bed are received by and secured upon Ythe llegs ofthe bed.

The present bed comprises `four upstanding -identical wooden legs v which define the four corners of the bed...

The legs at their lower ends are lac'lapted to rest upon a viloor or other supporting surfac`e,"nd 'in the present embodiment the legs are cylindrical in shape and stand vertically upright. The upper end of each leg terminates in a horizontal planar face 11 that has two downwardly directed, radially disposed slots 12 and 13 formed therein. These slots are located at right angles to each other and, as will best be seen in Fig. 5, the slots extend entirely through each leg from one side thereof to the other so as to intersect at the vertical axis of the leg. At this point of intersection an upstanding threaded stud 14 is anchored in the face 11 of each leg so that the axis of the stud coincides with the vertical axis of the leg. The particular manner in which the studs 14 are anchored in the legs at the location just stated may vary, but it is preferred that the lower end of each stud be provided with threads such as those commonly used on wood screws so that the studs may be screwed downwardly into the upper ends of the legs.

The side edges of the bed are defined by a pair of identi- "slots -152 or 13.

A 2,871,489l Patented Feb. 3, y1959 cal, longitudinally extending side frame meinberslSand 16 and the ends of the bed are similarly defined by identical frame 'members 17 and 18. As shown, these frame members 15 to 18, inclusive, may be comprised of angle members of extruded aluminum or the like, each having a horizontal upper flange 19 and a downwardly projecting ilange 2t). The respective flanges 20 may extend the full length of the frame members to rigidity the same, Aand these anges at their ends are adapted to be received downwardly into the slots 12 and 13, with vthe underside of 'each of the horizontal flanges 19 resting ush upon the upper faces 11 of the legs, and with the ends of the frame members, and particularly the ends ofthe downwardly projecting flanges 20 thereof, abutting the upwardly extending studs 14. The reception of the anges 20 into the slots 12 and 13 orient's the frame members upon theflegs and prevents lateral movement of the frame members with respect to the legs. It will also be observed that the abutment of the ends of the flanges 20 against the studs 14 Orients the kframe members longitudinally within the slots 12 and 13. The ends of the frame members '15 to A18, inclusive, are frictionally secured upon the legs by means of washers 21 that are received upon the studs '14 in a position overlying the horizontal flanges 19 of the adjacent frame members, and by means of wing nuts 22 or the like which are threaded onto the studs. Turning the Wing nuts downwardly on the studs 14 presses the washers 21 tightly against the upper surfaces of the horizontal flanges 19 of the frame members, thus clamping the undersurfaces of these horizontal anges rmly 'against therespective upper faces 11 of the legs 10, thereby establishing rigidity between the legs and the frame members.

The supporting surface for the pet or other occupant of the bed preferably comprises a Web 23, of cotton duck or the like, that is provided along its opposite edges with wide hems 24 sewed along the lines 25.y These hems freely receive the frame members 15 to 18, inclusive, so that the web 23 is stretched relatively tautly to support the weight of the occupant. l 1

It will 'be observed that the entire bed, and all of its component parts, are fabricated of stock materials, thereby very greatly reducing the cost of construction. When the bed is utilized as a bedfo-r pets' and the like, the legs 10 may be fabricated from standard one inch wooden dowel material, forexample, and the web 23 may be lof an ordinary fully sanforzed 32 oz. duck material'. vThe frame elements 15 to 18, inclusive, may be fabricated of angle stock of standard 4size and weight or, if desired, these vframe members may have their cross-sectional configurations of another shape, such as that of T-shaped stock which, like the frame members shown, will have a vdownw'ardly directed ange adapted to be received in the It will be readily apparent that the present bed may be very quickly and easily disassembled and reassembled at the convenience of the user. Its disassembly is accomplished merely by 'loosening or removing the wing nuts 22 and the washers 21 from the studs 14, whereupon the opposite ends of each of the frame members may be withdrawn from the slots 12 and 13 in the upper faces 11 of the legs, thereby freeing the legs and frame members and releasing all of the tension existing in the web 23. The frame members may then be withdrawn from the hems 24 at the edges of the web and all of the components of the bed may be rolled within the web to provide convenient storage or shipping. Reassembly of the bed is equally conveniently and easily accomplished. With the parts ofthe -bed laid out inaccessible positions, the frame members are inserted into the appropriate hems of the web 23 and the downwardly directed flanges 20 of the frame members are inserted into the 151615 12 and 13, with the members in abutting positions against the studs 14, as

A`is to use the bed.

end extremities of the frame shown. Thi-s positioning ,and insertion of the frame members into the slots of the legs tensions the web 23, `whereupon the washers 21 and Wing nutsV 22 may -be `applied to the studs 14 and tightened thereon, thereby rigidifying the entire assembly and completing the reasgsembly thereof.

. vlli desired, a pillow or mattress-like pad of any suitable thickness or construction may be loosely laid upon the top of the web 23 for the pet or other occupant that i All of the legs are of identical construction and are, therefore, completely interchangeable. Their construction is such that their rotative position With respect to the frame members is not critical. This is achieved t -by the fact that the slots 12 and 13 in each case extend entirely through the legs from one side thereof to the other and on opposite sides of the studs 14. Thus, be-

i cause only one end portion of each of the slots is utilized during assembly of the bed, the legs may be oriented at any one of four 90 degree positions during assembly, the only positioning requirement being that one end or the other of each of the slots 12 and 13 is aligned with the .downwardly directed flange of the corresponding adja- 'cent frame member. At the same time, the fact that the slots 12 and 13 extend entirely through the legs rendiierent kinds and sizes of parts that must be manufactured, and thus reduces the cost of the bed to a bare minimum. Furthermore, the wide interchangeability of the parts greatly increases the ease with which the bed may be assembled.

In addition to all of the previously mentioned advantages of the present bed construction, numerous others will be apparent. For example, the light weight nature of the bed very greatly reduces the shipping costs of the manufacturer and also increases the ease with which the user may move the bed from one place to another. Furthermore, the ease with which the bed may be assembled and disassembled lends great advantage to the housewife yin keeping the bed in a clean and sanitary condition,

particularly when the bed is used for pets. Because of -the constructural features of the bed and the ease of its complete disassembly and subsequent reassembly, the bed may be taken apart and the web 23 may be Washed and the other parts of the bed may be thoroughly cleaned whenever the housewife desires.

The foregoing description has been given for clearness of understanding only yand no unnecessary limitations members overlying ends upon the .faces of an adjacent pair of said legs with ,the opposite ,faces of said legs and for retaining are intended thereby, 'for it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous variations may be made in the present bed' construction, all within the spirit and scope of the appended claim.

l claim:

An easily assembled and disassembled bed comprising, four upstanding legs dening the four corners o-f said bed, a horizontal planar face on the upper end of each of said legs and extending thereacross, each of said faces having therein a pair of downwardly directed slots extending across said face at right angles to each other and physically intersecting at substantially the axial center of the leg, an -upstanding axially extending-stud anchored in the upper end of each leg at the physical intersection of said slots, a plurality of longitudinally extending frame members removably interconnecting said legs and dening the edges of said bed, each of said frame and removably resting at its opposite ,ends of each frame member abutting and bearing against the respective upstanding studsy of said adjacent pair of legs to fix the minimum distance between said adjacent pair of legs, downwardly directed anges Aon saidy frame members at the opposite ends thereof removably residing in said slots for preventing lateral movement of said frame members with respect to said legs, means removably secured upon the upper ends of said studs and overlying the ends of said frame members for clamping the ends of said frame members against said said flanges in said slots, and a supporting web secured to said frame members and suspended therebetween to provide a sleeping surface, said frame members being readily disengaged from said legs upon release of said last mentioned means to provide easy disassembly of said bed.

References Cited in the le of this patent -UNITED STATES PATENTS Y Germany Sept. 21, 1932 

